Osprey Junction Trailhead has been closed as of Aug. 2 for a road construction project

Extension of Bay Street to Honore Avenue will take up to a year, county says

The entrance to the Osprey Junction Trailhead is on Bay Street in Osprey. Photo from Google Maps

The Osprey Junction Trailhead will be closed for up to 12 months as of Wednesday, Aug. 2, to accommodate the construction of the Bay Street extension to Honore Avenue, Sarasota County has announced.

“Osprey Junction Trailhead is one of multiple access points to the Legacy Trail,” a news release points out. The Legacy Trail “will remain open and available to the public for the duration of the road project,” which is being constructed by the developer of Palmer Ranch, the release explains. The extension project will add 1.2 miles of roadway and a roundabout, the release notes.

Pedestrian and bicycle access from the existing Bay Street connection to the Legacy Trail will remain open for the time being, the release adds. The public is advised to watch for signage, “as a new temporary access trail will be opened to the north of the existing Bay Street connection to the Legacy Trail in the near future,” the release says.

Parking will not be available at Osprey Junction Trailhead during the closure, but motorists may park nearby at Bay Street Park, located at 300 Bay St. in Osprey; the Legacy Trail parking area at 7905 McIntosh Road in Sarasota; or any of the seven other Legacy Trail access points, the release points out.

For more information, call the county Contact Center at 861-5000 or visit www.scgov.net.